The invention is in the field of good emergency signal devices. These devices are needed in various forms in a number of different situations. By the sheer number of vehicles that are disabled on the highways, there is the obvious highway application for an emergency signal.
Backpackers and campers also need some type of emergency signal device. Especially in the west and southwest United States, backpackers may become lost in deserts, in mountains woods, in the snow and in other situations in which search crews may not find them in time to save their lives. This is particularly a problem with children who wander from campsites or from trails and perish in the wilderness.
In addition to the traffic safety lighting modifications to the basic design, the emergency signal can be easily adapted for downed aircraft and disabled boats. Mountain climbers and desert motorcyclists and those who could find themselves in a dangerously precarious position would find a compact and lightweight model vital. This telescoping emergency flash device is easily adapted to most any emergency situation.
Some situations may call for a radio-transmitter for help in isolating the victims by an aerial search crew with radio search techniques. Other situations call for a visual means of finding the victims, or a visual means of notifying others that there is a problem, such as along the highway.
Yet another and rarely addressed emergency situation involves invalids and particularly old people. If suddenly stricken with a debilitating problem, a low-cost remote controlled sign that would flash "HELP", or simply light control panels, in the window, could save the lives of old people who are so stricken they are unable to get to the telephone.
There is a need, therefore, for a compact, nestable emergency signal that lends itself to a wide variety of applications and is relatively economical to manufacture and produce.